[VD] Ch 21: Caroline and Matt… Together?

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After leaving Stefan's place, Jack didn't head home. Instead, he made a beeline for the cabin. Sitting inside, he started replaying the fight in his head, breaking down his mistakes and thinking about how to upgrade his weapons.

Stefan had shown up with a friend this time—Lexi Branson. Who knew how many more vampires would start crawling out of the woodwork?

At first he tried every way he could think of to unlock a new talisman, but nothing worked. He meditated, pictured their shapes in his mind, even tried forcing himself to use powers he didn't have yet—hoping one might suddenly appear. But no, nothing. Only, the threat of vampires kept gnawing at him.

The conclusion was clear: he needed vervain, and lots of it. On top of that, he had to find a weapons expert who could help design modern anti-vampire gear. Grenades laced with vervain, maybe replacing shrapnel with hardened wooden splinters, even firearms loaded with wooden rounds.

Sure, they wouldn't kill a group of vampires, but they'd definitely hurt them, giving him time to eliminate them one by one. If Damon hadn't bailed Stefan out last time, the guy would've been toast.

Once he'd made up his mind, Jack got right to it. He jumped online to search for vervain. Mystic Falls had run dry—Stefan had some, but despite promising, he hadn't shared.

After browsing for a bit, Jack placed several orders from different sites. He wasn't sure how fast overseas shipping was compared to back home, so the more he bought, the better the chance one would get here quickly.

With that sorted, he headed home and crashed. His car was still parked there, and honestly, using the Rabbit Talisman to sprint across town to school the next day would've looked way too suspicious.

The following morning, Jack showed up to class. History was finally back on the schedule, thanks to a new teacher. Stefan wasn't there.

"Good morning, everyone. My name's Alaric Saltzman. Yeah, I know, it's a mouthful," the teacher began with a smile. "Saltzman's a German surname—my family immigrated to Texas in 1755. I was born and raised in Boston, though. As for 'Alaric,' that's the name of an ancestor I greatly admire. People often mispronounce it as 'Olaric,' but the correct pronunciation is 'Alaric.' You can just call me Ric. I'll be your new history teacher."

Ric's long-winded self-introduction nearly put Jack to sleep. Once the class finally ended, Jack planned to ask Bonnie about the necklace. He wanted it back before Damon caught wind she had it.

Stefan already knew she had it, which made things worse.

...

Outside, Bonnie was talking with Elena.

"After that, I found myself in the ruins of the old Fell's Church. When I woke up, I was in the woods," Bonnie explained.

"You always see your ancestor, Emily, in your dreams?" Elena asked curiously.

"Hey, Bonnie," Jack greeted. He'd wanted to wait until fewer people were around, but Bonnie and Elena were already sitting together.

"Hi, Jack. Actually, I was just about to find you," Bonnie said.

She hesitated, then asked, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Bonnie went on to tell them about her recent dreams—her ancestor Emily appearing to her, the necklace having originally belonged to her family, and how she thought Emily might be haunting her.

"Two weeks ago, I'd have said no," Elena replied first. "But now—"

"I think I'm being haunted," Bonnie interrupted.

"Bonnie, did Emily say anything specific in your dreams?" Jack asked. "I think it's the necklace. Witches might keep their power even after death, and with that as a medium, she can reach you."

"My Grams told me Emily was a powerful witch during the Civil War. That necklace was her amulet. I believe she's using it to communicate with me… but I don't want it. I don't want this connection. I want it to stop," Bonnie admitted, her voice tight with rejection.

"I'm sorry. I never thought giving you the necklace would cause this," Jack said softly. "Let me take it back. And honestly, I don't trust Stefan not to tell Damon about it." He reached out his hand.

"Stefan wouldn't do that," Elena quickly defended.

Jack snorted. "I used to trust him. After yesterday? Forget it. They'll be gone soon anyway. Come on, Bonnie—just hand it over. I'll only hold the chain, it'll be fine."

Bonnie looked relieved as she let the necklace slip from her fingers into his grasp.

"Good. That should keep things quiet. Tonight, you two should stay together. See if Emily still comes after you. I'll be keeping an eye on Caroline," Jack said, pocketing the necklace.

"Bonnie, come over to my place," Elena offered.

"Yeah… it's been a while since we had a sleepover," Bonnie replied, smiling.

Just as Jack reached the main building, he spotted Caroline and Matt arguing.

"You spent the night in my bed, holding me, and then snuck out at dawn just to avoid facing me. That's low, Matt. I have to say, I'm disappointed. Don't think you can just show up and say 'hey' like nothing happened. Sure, maybe I came off insecure at that party, but don't mistake me for some pushover," Caroline shot at him.

"I only left because I heard your mom coming home. I didn't want to cause you any trouble," Matt explained.

Jack didn't stick around. It wasn't his business to eavesdrop on their drama. Still, it stung a little—ever since he'd become single, it felt like couples were everywhere. Sure enough, just ahead, Stefan was walking toward Elena.

"Stefan, why didn't you say 'hi' to me? I'm not gonna try to kill you—we're at school, after all," Jack said bluntly.

"And Bonnie gave me the necklace," he continued. "If you see Damon, tell him. I don't want him bothering Bonnie about it."

Stefan glanced at Elena, silently asking if it was true. She nodded.

Jack didn't bother waiting for Stefan's response. He turned on his heel and headed for the parking lot.

But when he got there, he saw Damon cornering Bonnie.

"You really think I won't come after you just because you're not alone? Stefan didn't tell you? The necklace is with me now," Jack said, storming up. He caught Damon off guard and kicked him hard in the side. Damon crumpled, and right then, his phone rang. It was Stefan, calling about the necklace.

"Give me the necklace, Jack, and I'll leave Mystic Falls right now," Damon said flatly after hanging up.

"You were leaving anyway. Three days—that's the time I gave you. Not a bargain for the necklace," Jack replied, pulling it from his pocket and dangling it for emphasis. "After 3 days, I'll be prepared to kill you."

"And I don't know what you told Stefan to make him spill, but I don't buy that this is just some keepsake to you. I'm not giving it back," Jack said, tucking it safely away again.

"I will get that necklace. Aren't you worried I'll hurt your Caroline?" Damon shot back.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "First off, Caroline and I broke up. If anyone's protecting her now, it should be Matt. Second, if you so much as touch her, you'll lose your only leverage. Forget whether you survive—I guarantee your brother won't."

His words were sharp, but the frustration was real. Caroline moving on so quickly stung more than he wanted to admit.

"Caroline and Matt are together?" Bonnie asked once Damon stormed off.

"Looks like it," Jack muttered. "I overheard them earlier when I went to check on her."

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